23 - A. Sadat, M. Begin, Y. Arafat, S. Peres & Y. Rabin

The Holocaust, Hitler's slaughter of the Jews, led to the founding of Israel in 1948. Since then, Israelis and Arabs have often been in violent conflict. Statesmen, even with a violent past, were awarded prizes when they made strides towards peace.

In a symbolic break with the past hostilities Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat courageously addressed the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem in 1977. Menachem Begin was the Israeli Prime Minister. From this came the Camp David Accords in 1978, a negotiated peace between Egypt and Israel.

"The people of the Middle East yearn for peace, so that the vast human and natural resources of the region can be turned to the pursuits of peace and so that this area can become a model for coexistence and cooperation among nations. "

The Camp David Agreement

Note: U.S. President Jimmy Carter helped to bring Sadat and Begin together. He could have shared the 1978 prize but nobody nominated him in time.
Question: With the continuing violence in the Middle East, were these awards premature?